Science-French trip to Paris

(Under Construction)

In June 2006, we took 18 pupils to a Science-French trip to Paris. The idea behind this trip was to show the pupils it was possible to be good at Science and Languages.

Itinerary:

We wanted the children to experience Paris in a scientific point of view. The French capital has a lot to offer: a botanical garden, sewers, a science museum, etc.
We did not want to bore the kids with museums they would not appreciate until they were adults, so we did not go to the Louvres, for example.

We also wanted the children to experience French food, and went to restaurants every evening. They had the opportunity to try snails, and surprisingly, they ALL loved it! I had to apologise to the families afterwards, as their children wanted to eat mussels, snails, steak, etc. at home...

We travelled by coach overnight and after 18 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Paris at 6pm.

Don't forget the French antiterrorist law, VigiPirates, forbidding any school group to use public transport in Paris. Also, the coach can only be used for half days, so study your itinerary very carefully, working out where the accomodation is, and where you want to go. A good trick is to go quite far in the morning, walk to somewhere close in the afternoon, and invite the driver for dinner at the restaurant in the evening, so he can drive everybody back afterwards!

The good thing about VigiPirates is that all the walking and the heat get the kids completely exhausted, and they sleep very well at night, without the teachers having to do rounds in the accomodation corridor all night long!

Paper Work:

Training: the group leader, and better still, all the staff travelling, should undergo the Educational Excursions (including Foreign Travel) - Group Leaders Training provided by the Council. You then receive a diploma that needs to be kept on you at all times during the trip abroad.

Permission Slips: A form from the council should be filled in and signed by the Headteacher approving the outing. It is then forwarded to the Council and sent back to the group leader, authorising the trip or not. The EE1 form should be submitted to the Council at least 6 months before the departure, but for trips abroad, one year is recommended. The EE3 form is also to be completed and sent as soon as the trip is considered. Parental Consent forms should also be done asap.
However, before you do any of this, you should send an authorisation letter to the parents, as the parental consent form from the council should be sent at most 2 months before departure (address, phone numbers and medical consitions could change).


We also organised a meeting with parents which is to be done as soon as possible, to keep them informed about everything.



Class Lists: This may seem obvious, but also essential. You should have the list of pupils on you at all times, with contact information in case of emergency, details of allergies and medical conditions, diet, etc. We also had photos of pupils on the list, in case we lost one and had to report it to the police. It sounds very pessimistic, but we wanted to cover ourselves for every possible situation.

The Code of Conduct: This should be agreed and signed by pupils and parents. It should include the consequences of the misuse of drugs and alcohol, as well as the consequences of sexual activities. Remember the children are under age and even if the law abroad may be different, you have to follow the British law. Mobile phones were not allowed for pupils when abroad, as recommended by the Council (we still had to confiscate a couple once in Paris).



The Risk Assessment: This is usually the part that gives teachers cold feet. Lots of paper work, and freaky result. The risk assessment is there to cover your back in case of an accident, and you have to list everything that could happen, what you would do if it happened, how you could prevent it from happening, and how high the risks are.



The Budget: Usually ends up with a headache. The budget should be done as soon as possible in order to see how much money should be raised.

Collective Passport: This can be completed 3 weeks before departure. However, it can take longer if non British pupils are taking part in the trip. It can take to up to 4 months to have the non British passport signed, sent to Glasgow for stamping, etc. Organise this as soon as possible, as it can lead to serious problems at the border. The group leader should carry it at all times (the other staff got a photocopy of it to carry as well at all times)

Contact Details when Abroad: We invested on a French Sim Card, in order to be contacted by the school and the parents in case of emergency. We also created emergency cards for both parents and pupils, including emergency phone numbers, Education Department and school numbers, etc. These cards had to be carried by pupils at all times, in case of separation. Phone cards were also available to pupils, as we had banned mobile phones (as recommended by the City of Edinburgh Council)





Insurance: Our travelling company (NST) provided us with insurance. The policy was to be carried by teachers at all times.

The Learning and Teaching Scotland website has a great section of the organisation of a trip abroad, explaining all the procedures and paper work to be done.

All of this sounds like hard work, and it is! But the smile on the faces of the children when standing under the Eiffel Tower is something very special, and makes it all worth it. The smile of the members of staff who had to carry all the paper work on them all the time was not as pleasant, but at least, they got a lot of exercise!

Caring for the Pupils once Abroad:

As teachers, we are not allowed to give pupils any kind of medication. But you also have the obligation to take good care of them when you take them away from home. We made sure all the parents knew about this, and asked them to provide the children with the necessary medication they needed, giving it to us too (in case the kids lost it) as well as clear instructions.

Of course, when planning a trip in June, we had to make sure the kids were all fine with 35 degrees Celcius. All the members of staff had on them at all times (as well as all the paper work):

• Bottles of water
• Sun cream
• After sun cream
• Kids' medication.

We asked parents to provide children with these, as well as hats (to avoid sun strokes) and good walking shoes.

Of course, most of the girls insisted on wearing their little girly shoes, and all ended up with blisters. Don't forget you are NOT allowed to give them plasters and disinfectant, in case they may be allergic to it.

Make sure all the parents know about this and check before departure all has been packed in the luggage.

Financing:

The financing of it was based on lots of fund raising. The following organisations helped us a lot:

John Watson's Trust:
The Scottish International Educational Trust: The SITT normally helps PhD students to attend conferences, or to further their research.
Lothian Buses,
Craigmillar Partnership,
the INSTEP Project

Reporting Back:

Once the trip is finished and all the children have been brought back to their parents, don't think you can finally rest. It is considered good practice to report back to the school, the council and the different organisations which have helped finance the project.

We decided to make a DVD of all the photos made by both staff and students, but you could also blog your experience while abroad, get the pupils to write a letter of thanks, etc. With today's technology, all is possible. Be creative and the funders will remember you and be more willing next time to help you again finance another trip (if you feel courageous enough to do this all again!)

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